A New York court indicted 13 Israelis aged 18 to 21 on Thursday following their involvement in the digging of an authorized tunnel beneath the Lubavitcher Rebbe's synagogue in Brooklyn, known as 770 Eastern Parkway, back in January.
The court ordered the passports of nine of the accused to be confiscated. According to reports in U.S. media, four additional suspects are currently in Israel. According to court documents, the youths arrived in New York to study in a yeshiva. The youths denied the allegations against them. However, Justice Adam Perlmutter, who oversaw the case, refused to ban them from the synagogue, since they’re currently studying there.
A Chabad spokesperson appeared in court, saying, "Violence and destruction are anathema to everything the Rebbe taught. We pray that they see the error of their ways.”
In January, it was reported that a group of extremist Jewish youths, who don’t represent any Hasidic movement, broke into the Brooklyn synagogue, causing an uproar.
The tunnel itself was dug during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when synagogues and yeshiva study halls were closed on the order of the U.S. government to reduce the spread of the virus.
The youths, dissatisfied with the closure of the synagogue, began a secret digging operation into the synagogue in order to gain access to the building. The excavation work progressed slowly and wasn’t completed.
The excavations were only discovered at the end of 2023, following construction works in the area. Emergency services in the Crown Heights neighborhood, where the main Chabad synagogue is located, expressed concern about the damage that could result in harm to the public and worshipers and closed the area partially.
After the tunnel was discovered, all official Chabad bodies – including rabbis and institutions responsible for overseeing the synagogue - quickly distanced themselves from the youths’ actions and condemned them harshly. Meanwhile, the synagogue has been closed until works to seal the tunnel and renovate the area are completed.